INVESTIGATING A SKIN DISEASE IN WILD GUINEA BABOONS (PAPIO PAPIO) USING CAMERA TRAPS AND MOLECULAR ANALYSIS

Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife can have serious public health and conservation implications, especially in biodiversity rich areas with a close human-wildlife interface. Here we report an outbreak of skin disease in wild Guinea baboons (Papio papio) in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, using a combination of non-invasive surveillance methods. We used camera trap footage (2,224 camera trap days) to identify individuals with skin lesions and describe these, and molecular analysis of 272 biological samples. Given the presence of leprosy in western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Cantanhez and yaws-like disease in non-human primates in Sub-Saharan Africa, we tested for Mycobacterium leprae or Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue as possible causative agents. We identified at least seven baboons with ulcerated lesions on the muzzle, eyebrow, tail, hind quarters, joints, hands and feet. Clinical signs partially align with descriptions of primates infected with leprosy and differ from those of yaws-like disease. Molecular analysis using specific PCR protocols were inconclusive in detecting the presence of either suspected pathogen. Additional sampling and molecular analysis are needed to identify the causative agent, which is relevant for conservation and public health, as baboons overlap with chimpanzees and are hunted by humans in Cantanhez.